Sweden - Oland - Travel Tales - A Country Tour - Lorry Patton's Travel Tips 'n' Tales Lorry Patton's Travel Tips 'n' Tales Oland Travel Tale by Lorry Patton ... We zigzagged a piece of southern Sweden this spring from Stockholm to Soderkoping to Granna to Vazjo to Kalmar and to the Island of Oland. Bits of land reminded me of Canada; but mostly, it was unfamiliar. The black-roofed cities, brick towns, rural red farmhouses and pools of clear blue waters, created a unique piece of embroidery. The landscape is soft, almost fragile, in southern Sweden's countryside -- slightly rolling hills, golden with rape seed in mid-May. Somehow, even the woods show an atmosphere of gentleness. How incongruous to the massive stone castles, the fortresses, the rock-faced churches and the dungeons . . . incongruous to the stories of fighting Vikings, to the bigger than life battles lost and won. The people we met were reserved yet friendly. Nearly all spoke English. They were amazed --a bit envious -- of the relaxed openness of us North Americans.

I envied their civilized manner, their obvious rapture with their families, their ability to savor holidays, their cleanliness and their historical pride. Even in the tiniest towns a glorious event prevails. Granna for example, a simple town of no pretense has an elaborate museum dedicated to keeping the story of the famed Polar Expedition alive. Lest we don't remember and why would we: it was back in 1897 when three men, Andree, Strindberg and Fraenkell, set out in an air balloon to explore the North Pole. They never returned. Then there's the House of Immigration. A gallery where North Americans of Swedish decent can find out who their ancestors were by searching through the thousands of stored documents. The museum is incredibly accurate of the events that took place when one thousand people left Sweden for the New World in the 1600's. The building is located in Vaxjo, another visually arresting town that just happens to be along Sweden's modern highways. The world's most famous exhibition is in Kalmar: The Kronan Exhibition. The Royal Ship went down in 1676 and was discovered at the bottom of the Baltic Sea on August 9, 1980.

It was the biggest warship ever built ( then ). Sixty meters long. The wreck is still lying on the bottom of the sea; however, over twelve thousand objects have been salvaged -- seamen's boots, buttons, plates, pewter, clay pipes, gold coins and cannons. Kalmar also has the Kalmar Castle. A stroll on the grounds and across the moats is spine-tingling. Built on the water's edge, it was a protector of the people, standing grand and imposing to any enemy that might appear. The Kronan and the castle are physical proof -- a testimony -- that wars were fought, despite the peace and tranquillity of today. Roughly half of Sweden is surrounded by water and there are thousands of islands along the jagged coast. One special island is the island of Oland. There are thirty-two species of orchid and 24,000 residents on Oland and a one of a kind exhibit. Through careful excavation, parts of communities from three different time eras ( 300 A.D., 400-650 A.D., 1000-1200 A.D. ) have been uncovered.

The Eketorp Fort Museum has been partially reconstructed so that the visitor can gain firsthand knowledge of what it was like for the inhabitants that lived in these unearthed grass and stone shacks so very long ago. Oland can be reached by crossing a 6070-meter bridge -- the longest bridge in Europe. A bridge that the people of Oland objected to, believing their beautiful and peaceful island would be bombarded with developers. But, said our learned guide, the people of Sweden didn't come to build. They came and continue coming, to picnic, to hike, to bike and to paint the landscape. Oland is said to have the light of France -- which is supposed to be the best light to paint by. Two other facts about Sweden, although not historical as such, are worthy of mention: Stockholm is the birth place of Mr. Alfred Nobel of the important and coveted world-famous Nobel Prize and Granna the birthplace of the unimportant but popular barber pole rock candy we know as candy cane. Parts of Sweden's terrain may remind you of Canada; nevertheless, it is the everyday drama of history, the everyday cherished traditions and the everyday Swedish people that create that special flavor that is Sweden's alone.

Footnote: If you're thinking of motoring through Europe, Sweden is the perfect "Old Country" introduction, a fascinating look at time standing still. It is clean and safe and everybody drives on the right side of the road. Travel Tales in Related Destinations Copenhagen Poland Map / Geography of Poland / Map of Poland - Worldatlas.com Print this map Poland In Prehistory Historians have recorded that in ancient times a variety of distinct tribal groups inhabited this land now called Poland. Primary among these were Slavic tribes. Celts, Balts, Scythians, Huns, Goths and Germanic peoples also inhabited this land at various times. The earliest settlement found was the fortified settlement of Biskupin, dating from the turn of the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age (750 - 600 BC.). The Birth Of The Polish Nation In 966, Duke Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty, a pagan and Poland's first recorded leader, converted to Christianity and this event is considered the birth of the Polish nation. The Slavic tribes that he united to form Poland consisted of around a million people.

Poland In The Middle Ages In 1138, Poland was divided into four kingdoms upon the death of King Boleslaw Krzywousty (Boleslaw ‘Wry-mouthed’). In his will, he divided Poland’s territory between his four sons in an attempt to avoid arguments between them for his throne, in effect making Poland weaker. It was further weakened by the wars waged by his sons against each other. The Christian Crusades (1095-1291) were a wide series of military campaigns fought across Europe . The First Crusade, organized by Emperor Alexus with assistance from Pope Urban II and sanctioned by the Latin Roman Catholic Church, was begun in order to restore Christian access to holy places in and around Jerusalem. In 1226 Konrad I invited the Teutonic Knights, a crusading military order during the Middle Ages, to help him fight the Baltic pagans. This decision would ultimately lead to centuries of warfare pitting Poland against the Knights, with the Knights ruthless in their war against the Baltic pagans. In 1241 Poland became subject to sustained attacks by the Mongol Tatars.

These expert horsemen used the element of surprise and their terrific speed to attack and burn towns and villages, forcing the conquered inhabitants to pay tax to them and taking them into slavery. In 1333 Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir the Great) was crowned king and went on to become one of Poland’s most memorable kings. He reigned over a period of peace in Poland’s history due in part to his reliance on diplomacy, rather than war, to resolve disputes with neighbours. He strengthened the country’s fortifications and its economy. In 1364 he founded the Krakow Academy, the second university to be founded in central Europe. In 1385, Lithuania's Grand Duke Jagiello accepted Poland's offer to become its king. He consequently converted pagan Lithuania to Christianity and established a personal union between the two lands that lasted for 400 years. Under Jagiello, Poland and Lithuania defeated the Teutonic Knights in 1410 at the Battle of Grunwald, greatly weakening the Order’s hold on the country.

Poland During The Renaissance In the 1500s the 'Renaissance' came to Poland; Polish, rather than Latin, became the official language and literature and learning flourished. In 1569, the Polish Parliament unified Poland and Lithuania into a Commonwealth (or one state). In 1573 via the Warsaw Confederation, religious tolerance was enshrined in law. At this time, in addition to its majority Catholic population, Poland was also home to Jews, Christian Armenians, Orthodox Christians and people of other faiths. Near the end of the century King Sigismund III moved Poland’s capital city from Krakow to Warsaw because of its central location between the Commonwealth's existing capitals of Krakow and Vilnius. In the middle of the 17th century Sweden invaded Poland. Much of the Commonwealth was virtually destroyed as cities were burned and plundered. An estimated 4 million lay dead due to that war, as well as epidemics and the resulting famine. The 17th century was a time of much turmoil for Poland, with attacks by Mongol Tartars and Ottoman Turks and Cossack rebellions.

In 1683, under John III Sobieski, the King of Poland, the Commonwealth's military prowess was re-established. In 1687 Polish armies under John III Sobieski rode to the aid of Austrian and German armies in Vienna, who were fast losing their battle against the invading Ottoman army. The arrival of the Polish King and his armies tipped the scales in favour of the European allies, leading them to victory in this battle and halting the Ottoman Empire’s advance into Europe. Despite this, because Poland had been subjected to almost constant warfare during this century and had suffered massive damage to its economy, the Commonwealth fell once again into decline. The Partitions Of Poland In the late 1700s Poland's three powerful neighbors, Austria , Prussia and Russia coveted Poland. None wanted war with each other so they just decided to divide the now-weakened Poland in a series of agreements called the Three Partitions of Poland. These took place in 1772, 1793 and 1795, with the latter effectively erasing Poland from the map. Even at this dark time, however, the country‘s government managed to ratify a constitution called the Constitution of May 3rd.

It was the very first constitution in Europe and the second in the world after the U.S. constitution. The time of the partitions was a time of oppression for Polish people. In the Prussian partition particularly, efforts were made to ban the Polish language in bureaucracy and schools. Underground schools were established for children to preserve the Polish language. Large numbers of Polish intelligentsia including writers, poets and composers such as Frederic Chopin, fled Poland to live in exile in France. The partitions of Poland lasted 123 years and were a time of turmoil; the Poles rebelled several times against the partitioners. Russia was the most aggressive and the Poles were forced to resort to guerrilla warfare tactics. Many uprisings were organised, with the 1831-1832 and 1863-1864 uprisings being the most significant. Fortunately there was a light at the end of the tunnel as during the partitioning large scale industrial projects were constructed and modernization programs instituted by the occupying powers, which (in the end) would help Poland develop economically once again. This was particularly true in the Prussian and German partitions, while the Russian partition was significantly poorer and less industrialized.

Prev Page 1/3 Next Page See Also Live on an Island: Seven of the World's Best International Living When you ask folks who live on an island what drew them to life on a curio of clay, they tend to respond by saying things like, “I can live simply without much interference.” Or “Here I’m part of a community that’s like a big small town.” Or they simply look at you in flip-flop-clad incredulity and ask, “Have you seen my view?” Islands are places where the stars shine bright at night. Out in the ocean, a profound quiet exists (no traffic jams, hassled commuters, sirens). And because not everything is always so easy to get on an island, one tends to care less about “getting” at all. Life really does become simpler. That stretch of water that separates an island from the mainland is nature’s moat. It keeps these places special…apart. Maybe that’s why so many islands seem to attract artists and writers… For all the common fundamental appeal though, islands come in many shapes and sizes. Some are of the sandy variety—where hammocks hang low between palms and you can dive out on a nearby coral reef.

Others are of the wild Atlantic sort—where green-topped cliffs overlook a swelling sea. Here we’ve hand-picked seven islands, scattered around the globe. All are locales where, expats report, you can find privacy, peace, a simpler way of life, and strong communities. Islands woo you with their charms. We heard it again and again: “I came for a week’s vacation…five years ago.” As they say on the island of Roatan, the number one lie told is, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” FREE REPORT Find out more about tropical destinations around the world—where you can be by the beach, enjoy perfect weather, sip cocktails while swinging in your hammock, and generally lead a laid-back and stress-free lifestyle. Sign up for IL’s free daily postcards in the box below and we’ll also send you a FREE REPORT: The World’s Best Island, Beach and Tropical Retirement Destinations. (We value your privacy. You can unsubscribe at any time.) Get Your Free Report Here Sign Up Roatan, Honduras: Quintessential Caribbean and Rolling Hills By Jennifer Stevens “On some famous islands, if your camera aims inland from the beach, you see flat desert—complete with cactus,” says expat Joel Moskowitz.

“But Roatan has green, rolling hills, tropical beaches, multi-blue waters, all surrounded by world-class coral reef.” Long a sleepy emerald escape in the western Caribbean, Roatan has quietly graduated from secret divers’ getaway to livable island haven. Just 50 square miles, this dollop of sand off Honduras ’ northern coast is long and skinny, fringed by a reef rich with sea life and garnished by white sand beaches. Though more than half a million cruise-ship passengers are expected to land on Roatan this year, save for the days they invade, the beaches remain quiet and pristine. Life is laid back, lived in rhythm with the sun and the surf. No big-name resorts. No “spring break” strips. No high-rise developments. This is old-school Caribbean…though fitted out with modern conveniences… “I’m an American so I was raised with certain luxuries,” says Amanda Walkins. “Living in Roatan allows me to indulge those. I don’t have to search far and wide for a great restaurant with quality food—the options are plentiful here. I also appreciate my work life—I’m not cooped up in a high-rise office. My meetings are conducted on the dock with an ice-cold beverage in hand.

“I still maintain the American-style ethic of hard work, but my view is of the ocean and my clients are on an island so they’re always smiling. Can’t beat that!” Here, 35 miles off the coast of Northern Honduras, English is widely spoken. That, along with an established expat community, makes it a relatively easy place to settle in. “A trip to the supermarket is a social occasion,” says Moskowitz. “It’s like small town America in the 1930’s.” Peggy Stranges, an American who founded and directs the island’s Clinica Esperanza, says, “Every day I wake up and look at the tranquil water and thank God that I have such an opportunity as this.The lifestyle here is much more relaxed and slower paced.” Rhode Islander Asa Davis owns a vacation rental on Roatan, Casa Vista Verde, which he enjoys about eight weeks a year and rents out the rest of the time.

He says he chose the island because, “Roatan had the perfect combination of great diving, hospitable environment for new business and investment, reasonable real estate and construction costs, and friendly locals who like and appreciate visitors.” Life on an island is often more expensive than mainland living—almost everything has to be imported, after all. But relative to the rest of the Caribbean, Roatan offers excellent value. Expats report that a couple can live comfortably (with the occasional dinner out and with a housekeeper to tidy up once a week) for $3,000 to $4,000 a month, rent included. (You’ll want to budget anywhere from $600 a month for rent on a one-or two-bedroom apartment near the beach to $1,000 or more for a house.) It’s a good time to buy. Roatan’s property market is dependent on the health of the U.S. economy and post-bust it ground to a halt on the island, just as it did Stateside. But real estate agents report that in the second half of this year, interest is up significantly and properties are moving.

Distressed-deal bargains continue to pop up—though they’re snatched up quickly by Roatan-lovers who have been lying in wait. Right now a 997-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo with a gorgeous water view, pool and private beach, a short walk to popular West Bay Beach (where there are restaurants and resorts) lists for a modest $155,900. And you could pick up a small lot in a high-end development for just $35,900. A lavish 11,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom villa in one of the island’s premier developments offers great water views as well as a pool and landscaped gardens. List price: $899,900. See here for more options . Bottom line: Roatan is great for good-value, laid-back living in the sun. Culture vultures will get bored. But if you like to dive, snorkel, swing in a hammock or sit with your feet in the sand, you’ll want to linger.

Koh Lanta, Thailand: Wild Jungles and Uncrowded Beaches By Jason Gaspero Imagine waking up, walking out your front door, and gazing at towering green mountains cloaked in super-dense, dark-green virgin rainforest. Your “backyard” teems with exotic wildlife. Drive just several minutes from home and you find some of the world’s most spectacular beaches. Beaches that—somehow—stay remarkably uncrowded. You also have world-class diving, fishing, swimming, and snorkeling. Spend the day catching a 50-pound salt-water barracuda, grill it on your barbeque, and eat it for dinner with friends just a few hours later. Go diving with 45-foot whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. Swim in the aquamarine-colored seas, which stay at a near-perfect 84 F year-round. And to top it off, enjoy attractive real estate opportunities. I’m talking about the island of Koh Lanta, in southern Thailand. Located in the Andaman Sea about 37 miles south of Krabi Town, laid-back Koh Lanta has somehow avoided the mass commercialization that’s hit other expat havens in Thailand .

Make no mistake. This is no Phuket , Phi Phi, or Samui. Come to Koh Lanta and you won’t encounter masses of drunken backpackers, see any McDonalds or Pizza Huts. Here, it’s all about a casual lifestyle: chilling on the beach, trekking in the jungle, dining on world-class cuisine (or cooking your own), and relaxing with friends. Koh Lanta is definitely pricier than other popular expat havens in Thailand. But you can still live well here for much less than you’d pay in North America. Koh Lanta is actually several islands. Koh Lanta Yai or “Big Lanta Island” is where most of the expats, locals, and visitors stay. For rentals, you can find deals like a one-bedroom, ocean-view apartment with air conditioning, cable TV, a water boiler, a refrigerator, hot and cold water, kitchenware, and a terrace for $767 a month during high season (December to April). Rent a studio ocean-view apartment with all the same amenities during low season (May to November) and that price drops in half.

If you’d rather rent a house or a villa, a two-bedroom oceanfront villa can cost you as little as $575 a month. It’s not just the lower cost of living that attracts expats to Koh Lanta. It’s also the much quieter Thai island lifestyle. “It’s always pretty chilled out here,” says British expat Ben. “But that’s why people like it. They don’t want the masses you’ll find in Phuket. They want truly unspoiled beaches.” Most of the expats in Koh Lanta’s sizable expat community come from Sweden, the UK, and France and already speak English well. Head to Koh Lanta’s main town and you’ll find just about any modern amenity you want. There’s a modern hospital, English-speaking doctors and dentists, a gym, a driving range, a home-improvement store, a laundry delivery service, computer repair and mobile phone shops, and many more amenities. Koh Lanta’s many restaurants offer plenty of choice for cheap and tasty cooking. Try some superb local Thai cuisine at Kwan’s Cookery in Klong Khong beach…or some out-of-this-world Pad Thai at Phad Thai Rock ‘n’ Roll in secluded Kantiang Bay.

If you feel like eating at home, you can shop for groceries at Koh Lanta’s bustling, astoundingly-cheap outdoor market. Here you can easily buy enough fresh seafood, meat, fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, and sauces to feed four people or more for dinner for under $10. Koh Lanta’s “Lanta Mart” offers imported groceries at fairly reasonable prices. And if you need a fix of modern city living? No problem. Just take the ferry to the bustling international hot-spot of Phuket. It’s just a few hours away. (Make sure to bring your camera. The ride there and back on the ferry is gorgeous.) Caye Caulker, Belize: Life is all About the Water By Glynna Prentice If you want to “get away from it all,” tropical-island style, there may be no place better in Belize to do it than Caye Caulker . This five-mile-long island—only half of which is really inhabited—sits in dream-worthy, turquoise Caribbean waters. Its three main streets (imaginatively named Front, Middle, and Back) are packed sand. And the main modes of transportation are by bicycle and on foot (preferably barefoot).

Here, life is all about the water. You can see the Caribbean from almost every place on the island, the sun glinting off the waves. Walk barefoot on the white-sand beaches, the sand squishing between your toes. Paddle off the Split, the channel separating the north and south halves of the island, enjoying a cold one at the Lazy Lizard between swims. And, in the evening, tuck into a fresh-fish or rock-lobster dinner at island restaurants like Habaneros or Rose’s Bar & Grill. Boats rock at anchor all around the island, and they get regular use. The blue Caribbean waters just beg to be sailed…and the Chinchorro Reef, the second-largest barrier reef in the world, sits just a mile offshore. For $25 you can spend the morning snorkeling along the reef with an experienced guide, floating above gnarled coral formations and gliding past sea vegetation that waves gently in the current. If you prefer scuba diving, you can sign up for tours along the reef, to the Blue Hole, and to marine preserves. They’re all within a few hours or less away. With its laid-back style, Caye Caulker gets its share of young, active tourists.

But it appeals to older expats, too. They come for its simple lifestyle, stunning views, and for still-affordable seaside real estate. Prices on Caye Caulker are rising fast, especially on the already-developed southern half. But there are still bargains to be found. What about a small one-bedroom, one-bath condo with a rooftop terrace and sunset views for $150,000? There’s one for sale now. Looking for a business? A lot with four cabanas, used for vacation rentals, is on offer for just under $190,000. There are a few single-family homes for sale. One near the southern end of the island, just a few minutes’ walk from the Caribbean, is a two-story, three-bedroom home with wraparound verandahs and lovely wooden floors. It’s for sale for $355,000. But many people prefer to buy lots and build their own home. You can find lots starting for as little as $30,000.

And though Caye Caulker revels in its no-shirt, no-shoes lifestyle, you’re hardly a castaway here… Ambergris Caye, with its First-World goodies, is only a half-hour boat ride away. An eight-minute flight on one of Belize’s tiny commuter planes gets you from Caye Caulker to Belize City, with its international airport and connections around the world. Corn Islands: Nicaragua’s English-Speaking Caribbean By Suzan Haskins If you missed your chance to visit Belize’s Ambergris Caye 30 years ago…or Honduras’ Roatan Island 25 years ago…you might want to check out Nicaragua’s Corn Islands right now. This is truly a spot for pioneering castaways. White sands with gently swaying palms…impossibly blue waters…a healthy reef for scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, and lobstering…Friendly locals who speak English as their official language. And very few tourists. That’s what you’ll find (or won’t find) on these two little dots of paradise just 50 miles off Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.

Big Corn—about four square miles in size and with maybe 6,000 inhabitants—is just 10 miles (or a wild 30-minute boat ride) from Little Corn, one-fourth the size of Big Corn in both land mass and population. No one is quite sure how they came to be called the “Corn Islands.” Some say pirates and British buccaneers, who came here to restock supplies during the 17th and 18th centuries, misspelled the Spanish word for meat, carne. Others say the islands are named for the corn those swashbucklers found growing here. It may actually be more apt to call these the “Lobster Islands,” since lobstering is the main industry. As one of only a handful of expats living on Big Corn told me, “We eat lobster with eggs for breakfast, we have lobster with pasta, with rice, with fruit…We experiment with lobster in just about every dish you can imagine.” To move the bounty of fresh lobster directly to market in Miami, the airstrip on Big Corn is now being lengthened to accommodate international flights. And to comply with associated regulations, improvements to the local hospital are also underway.

Will these upgrades also bring more tourists and more development? Probably. The Corn Islands aren’t for everyone. Supplies that aren’t locally grown or pulled from the waters must be shipped in. With small exception, restaurants all tend to serve variations of the same dishes. There are hotels and guesthouses, but beyond that, you won’t find souvenir shops or many tourist businesses at all. Not even coffee shops or Internet cafés. (And Internet won’t be what you are used to at home.) On Little Corn, there are no roads, just a three-foot-wide sandy walkway…so no vehicles allowed—although a new upscale eco-resort is in the works. If, though, you’re the adventuresome sort…and the pioneering sort, as a few hearty expats who’ve gone before you are…my advice is to go sooner rather than later. Prices are low—a quarter–acre lot with a million-dollar view of the Caribbean can be had for just $35,000. Waiheke Island, New Zealand: Art, Vineyards and Food By Steenie Harvey Escape-to-paradise islands with white sandy beaches and sparkling bays full of yachts exist all over the world.

But relatively few also have bush walks, boutique vineyards, gourmet dining, olive groves, and artists’ studios. Combining unspoiled beauty with sophistication, New Zealand’s Waiheke Island is one of those charmed places blessed with everything, including a sub-tropical micro-climate. Although the island is only a 35-minute ferry ride from Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, its sheltered position in Hauraki Gulf delivers far more sunshine and much less rain. The climate is perfect for small producers. Along with wines and olive oils, gastronomic treasures include oysters, chutneys, sheep’s milk yogurt and honey. Locally-produced brioche and pastries can match those you’d find in French boulangeries. If you’re here in November, you won’t want to miss the Olive & Artisan Food Festival. Twelve miles long, Waiheke is home to around 8,000 permanent residents, including a fair sprinkling of artists, sculptors, and writers. But it’s also a beach-and-water-sport vacation island, and there’s a large number of baches (Kiwi holiday homes). The population can swell to over 30,000 in summer.

Ferries dock at Matiata Bay, on the west of the island. Buses go from here to Oneroa, its main settlement. With lots of craft outlets, art galleries, places to eat and drink, a theater/cinema, and essential services, the village looks down on a white beach with views of the Coromandel Peninsula in the distance. Along the north coast, picturesque coves and inlets include Little Oneroa and Palm Beach. With a long sandy beach perfect for watersports, and a good choice of cafés and restaurants, Onetangi village is a popular vacation spot, especially for surfers and sea kayakers. Once a year, its two miles of firm white sand become Waiheke’s race course, with horse racing up and down the beach. On the south of the island, Surfdale village is a favorite with windsurfers. Inland, lush valleys are the setting for rural retreats and around 30 wineries, a number of which have restaurants. Although New Zealand is often associated with Sauvignons and Chardonnays, Waiheke is noted for its Bordeaux-style reds. The only real drawback here is that real estate is expensive.

Even if you’re not in the market for a multi-million dollar villa or mansion, you need fairly deep pockets to buy a piece of paradise. For example, a two-bedroom weatherboard house with 924 square feet of living space and a small garden, not far from Onetangi’s beach and shops, lists for NZ$465,000 (US$366,600). See here for more details . But it’s always fun to dream. Looking over Wakanewha Bay on the south of the island, NZ$5,395,000 (US$4.235 million) is sought for a four-bedroom “waterside lifestyle property.” Along with private wharf access, this beachside-retreat home has a thousand olive trees on 23 acres, a helipad, separate guest accommodation, and an outside dance floor. Find out more here . Renting is an option, too. Listed on Trademe.co.nz through a private landlord, NZ$295 (US$232) per week rents a fully-furnished, one-bedroom cottage/chalet with views over Palm Beach…just a five-minute walk away.

It has a wrap-around deck where you can enjoy a glass of wine and watch the sunset over the water. It’s available for six months (July to December) but shorter terms can be negotiated. As it’s on a bus route to the Auckland ferry, a car isn’t necessary. For vacation rentals and further information, see here. Langkawi, Malaysia: Nature on 99 Islands By Frances Wilks Langkawi, just off Malaysia’s northwest coast, is blessed with a tropical climate and spectacular scenery. But savvy expats have long known that it’s also is an amazing place to make their home. “It’s a very active, outdoor lifestyle,” says Chad Withers, a San Franciscan who has lived here for the past five years. “I can hike up to the Seven Waterfalls in the morning, sail to an uninhabited island in the afternoon, and eat dinner in a five-star restaurant or a simple hawker’s stall.” The price for a five-star meal runs around $50 a head, and only $2 or $3 at the hawker’s stall. Chad’s fisherman’s cottage is right on the beach, with romantic views of the myriad islands that make up the Langkawi archipelago.

He pays around $300 a month and figures that electricity and Internet connection cost him another $100. As he’s the owner of a web-based business, he can work from anywhere in the world and finds Langkawi a perfect base. “I use the international airport to fly pretty much any place, including Penang, if I want food and culture—it’s only 25 minutes away. Yet I always love coming home to my island hideaway.” Langkawi, which lies in the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea, is actually an archipelago of 99 islands, but almost everybody lives on the main island. Designated a Global Geopark by UNESCO, it has diverse and fascinating flora and fauna. The expat community is international, with expats from the U.S., U.K., Australia, and South Africa. Many of them are seasoned expats, retirees who’ve worked all over the world and who now want the thrill of a Robinson Crusoe-style island with modern comforts. Buying a property is not easy in Langkawi, because much of the island is Malay Reserve, which prohibits foreigners from purchasing and.

“This is good and bad,” says Keith Nash, who has lived in Langkawi for a couple of years. “Although it’s inconvenient, it does protect Langkawi from the uncontrolled development we see in many parts of the world—which would spoil its natural beauty. And that feeling of peace…of being able to walk through mangrove forests and look up and see a hornbill or a soaring eagle, is why most of us have settled here.” One option is to buy a condominium. Laguna Developments recently completed a low-rise block with panoramic sea views on one side and lush, green interior mountains on the other. Prices start at about $160,000 for a one-bedroom and rise to around $650,000 for a penthouse. As well as getting round the property purchase laws, a condo gives you all the amenities you need, such as a gym and a swimming pool. Yet another alternative is to live on board a boat, as Langkawi has four beautiful marinas and mooring fees are cheap by world standards starting at $100 a month. As it’s a duty-free island, both alcohol and cars are much cheaper than the rest of Malaysia.

And with gas at around $4 a gallon—again, cheaper than much of Malaysia—it won’t break the bank to take side trips to the hills of mainland Malaysia or explore the beaches of southern Thailand. But you don’t need to leave Langkawi to find world-class beaches, with endless expanses of pristine sand. As for my favorite beach? Well, I love the “Sandy Beach of Skulls” (Pantai Pasir Tengkorak in Malay), a little pirates’ cove on the island’s north shore, overlooking the mountains of southern Thailand. Take your own food and water—this is a local, not a tourist, beach. The sand is soft, the sea warm. And the extraordinary shapes and textures of the half-billion-year-old rock formations lining the cove create the atmosphere. Aran Islands, Ireland: History and Romance on the Wild Atlantic Shore By Eoin Bassett On a good day the Aran Islands are among the most beautiful and dramatic places in the world. Sunlight kindles vivid greens in the patchwork of fields and casts a spell on the swelling Atlantic.

Sitting on the warm stone ramparts of a pre-historic fort you can gaze out over soaring cliffs toward the ocean, or look back on the dry-stone walls that crisscross the land. Like beads on a necklace in the sea, the three islands of Inismor, Inismaan and Inisheer get more good days than you might think. Despite being nestled in Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland , the islands are actually the most temperate spot in Britain and Ireland and have the longest growing season. You’ll often see clouds pass over on their way to the mainland smug in the knowledge that you will stay dry. And even bad weather here has its attractions. What better excuse to sit fireside in the local pub and sip on a Guinness while musicians play? The islands are among the last true bastions of Gaelic Irish culture and tradition. Each year thousands of students come here to brush up on their native language, and if you want to speak the old tongue of the Celts, this is the best place to learn. The locals all speak it—along with English as a fluent second language. Despite thousands of summer tourists the islands retain their character—each different from the other.

The annual festivals of Inismaan are not those of Inismor for instance, and likewise even the flora and fauna is different on each. “Inis” means island and “mor” means “big.” And the largest island, Inismor, is exactly that. At about 12 square miles it has a population of around 1,000, most of whom live near the main village of Kilronan where you’ll find bars, restaurants and a medium-sized convenience store. Joe Watty’s bar serves up meals of fresh lobster, crab, mussels and fish and there are vegetarian offerings, too. It’s also the main location for live music, although you’ll find music—especially traditional—in other places as well. Inismor is home to half-a-dozen of the ancient stone forts the islands are famous for, and one of Ireland’s tourist board images is the 4,000-year-old Dun Aengus perched on sheer cliffs on the southern shore. The northern shores are gentler and you’ll find several sandy beaches there. Inisheer (East Island or Rear Island) has a population of about 300.

In the summer it gets around half the number of tourists as Inismor, and it’s the nearest island to County Clare. In some ways—despite being islands—the Arans are well placed to benefit from the best of Ireland’s west coast. The Cliffs of Moher are clearly visible on the mainland. Ferries operate from March to October to the village of Doolin, which is only a few miles from the cliffs and a gateway to the Burren—the karst limestone landscape from which the Aran Islands broke away. It takes an hour to reach Doolin by ferry and from there it’s only 30 miles to Shannon International Airport and a flight stateside. The busiest ferry route is to Rossaveal in County Galway. It runs all year-round and a shuttle bus runs from there to Galway City costing $10 round-trip. Prefer to fly? Daily flights hop all three islands and leave from Inverin in Connemara—a 40-minute drive from Galway City. See here for more information . Inismaan (literally “Middle Island”) is perhaps the most intriguing of the three.

Despite the fact that Inisheer is smaller, Inismaan has less people living on it—under 200 even in summer. But it does have a pub, a public library with free Internet, a school, and most recently, a hotel and restaurant . You’ll find a mix of international expats across the islands. Many are passing through, staying part-time to experience island life. When a U.S. Wall Street trader made his home on Inismaan for six months it made national Irish news. But that’s ironic given that the islanders are an internationally-minded bunch well-used to strangers. For them he just fitted right in. Adventurous folks, artists, painters, writers, and those trying to do something different, have long been attracted—and—accepted here. Good broadband Internet on the islands makes them an ideal base if you have a portable career. And the locals are keen for new blood to help bolster the population as young people leave in search of work. Overlooking the harbor in Kilronan village is a two-bedroom furnished apartment renting for $897 a month, which you can see here .

Also on Inismor, about eight miles from the village is a property on a half-acre site for sale for $158,000. It consists of two cottages, one old and in need of some work, the other an attractive modern building. On Inisheer there’s a modern three-bedroom bungalow for sale. Price: $184,607. See here for more listings . There are other ways to try out the islands that will cost you less. In exchange for helping out at meal times in one if Inismor’s Irish colleges you can get bed and board with the family running the school. See Workaway for more information . And if you’re green fingered than An Charraig is an organic vegetable growing and marketing project seeking volunteers through Wwoof.com . Based in a thatched cottage you’ll farm the land as locals have done for centuries. See An Charraig’s website to find out more . See here for a slideshow of images of these 7 islands . Free Report: There are still numerous countries around the world where unspoiled natural beauty, secluded beaches, friendly people, and a relaxed way of life are waiting for you.

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Question: In which country would you find the Oland Island Bridge?
Answer: SWEDEN